Miswak Toothbrush

ABSTRACT

A toothbrush having a handle with a first end, a second end and a longitudinal axis that extends along the length of the handle from the first end to said second end. A channel having upright side members is located at the first end of the handle and a brush receiving head having individual bristles or tufts of bristles embedded therein which is rotatably coupled to the side members of the channel is adapted to rotate along the longitudinal axis of the handle, either freely or only when a force is applied such as when the bristles in the brush receiving head are pushed or pulled against a user&#39;s teeth.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an oral hygiene device and more particularly to a toothbrush that has a pivotable brush head for effectively cleaning and polishing a user's teeth. The brush head is made of cut pieces of branch/root of tree salvadora Persica called Miswak henceforth.

2. Description of Related Art

The present invention relates to a toothbrush type of device having improved cleaning and polishing performance attributes.

To clean one's teeth, a person will generally use a bristle type of tooth brush together with a tooth cleaning paste or gel. Normally, as a person ages and consumes more tea and coffee, his/her teeth will generally become more darkly pigmented. To reverse this darkening process, a whiting agent such as an abrasive is frequently added to the tooth cleaning agent to remove pigmentation which adheres onto the surface of the teeth. While being somewhat effective, the whiting agent in the tooth paste or gel will normally consist of one or more abrasive substance which helps to abrasively remove stains, plaque and tartar from the surfaces of teeth. It has been found that the abrasive substance in tooth paste and gel, in combination with a bristle type of tooth brush can be effective in both cleaning a person's teeth and removing surface stains. Thus, the bristles of a toothbrush are effective in the cleaning a person's teeth and can enhance the whitening effect of the whitening agent in the tooth cleaning agent.

Conventional tooth brushes normally have rows of bristles that are embedded in the handle of a toothbrush. The bristles are usually designated as being soft, medium or hard to indicate their stiffness. Usually the bristles are arranged in groups of tufts which are pointed at their outer ends to allow the bristles to clean between the teeth.

Most tooth brushes now in use have bristles that are made of “Nylon”, a plastic type of material which is water proof, durable, relatively hard and have a high degree of resiliency.

Prior to using plastic bristles, hog bristles were commonly used. Hog bristles are not as durable as plastic bristles and become soft when wet with water. However, as hog bristles wear down they expose natural abrasive substances that can help to clean and polish a user's teeth.

The use of various types of tooth brushes are known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example, U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2008/0235889 by Lary discloses a polyaxial toothbrush constructed to provide a brush portion with a plurality of axes of pivotal movement relative to a handle which can assume a straight or intermittently-angled shape position. The toothbrush is formed by interconnecting a brush portion and a head portion by a universal joint to define a polyaxial joint. The universal joint includes a substantially spherical end and a substantially spherical appendage extending outwardly and sized to cooperate with the spherical cavity. Such construction and arrangement provides universal movement between the brush and handle portions. The toothbrush further has at least one resilient member extending between the brush portion and handle portion of the invention, providing resistance to the pivoting brush portion with respect to the handle portion.

U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2007/0039112 by Ko; et al. discloses a brush head and a toothbrush where the brush head includes a body having a front end, a back end opposing the front end, and two opposite sides; and a brush member mounted on a surface of the body and being formed with a plurality of bristles, wherein the plurality of bristles define a brush surface that slopes in relation to the surface of the body. The brush surface of the bristles can closely abut against the teeth and the gingival sulcus to improve the cleaning effect of the toothbrush.

U.S. PreGrant Publication No. 2005/0160545 by Euler discloses a tooth brush with a head part carrying bristles and with a handle part, the head part being connected with the handle part by means of a resilient device in such a way that the head part is pivotable against the handle part and is configured in such a way that the resilient device is a damping element.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,422 by Lavazoli discloses a manually rotatable head toothbrush with a minimum number of parts and utilizing properties of an elastomeric material in the construction thereof, so as to thus providing suitable resistance to rotation such that any desired orientation of the brush head to handle can be maintained when the toothbrush is in use.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,166 by Gomez discloses a toothbrush having a replaceable head that pivots and is held in place to the handle by a latch.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,676 by Schaiper discloses a tooth brush that has a brush handle, a brush stem, and a brush head which carries on the base face thereof a plurality of bristle tufts that rise up in a generally uniform direction and where the brush head has a plurality of head sections which are resiliently movable relative to each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a toothbrush having a handle with a first end, a second end and a longitudinal axis that extends along the length of the handle from the first end to said second end. A channel having upright side members is located at the first end of the handle and a brush receiving head in which cut pieces of Miswak are fitted. The brush receiving head can lock in the 180 degrees and 90 degrees position in relation to the handle. The brush receiving head is rotatably coupled to the side members of the channel is adapted to rotate along the longitudinal axis of the handle.

At the 180 degree position the user brushes with the head perpendicular to the teeth, which cleans the outer part of the teeth. The brush head is then turned to the 90 degree position to brush the inner surface of the teeth opposite the tongue.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of the present invention so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description of the invention that follows. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claim of the invention. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they can readily use the conception and specific embodiment as a base for designing or modifying the structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention and that such other features do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantage of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elements are given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a prior art toothbrush;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the prior art toothbrush of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is bottom view of the prior art toothbrush of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4, FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are side views of a tooth brush in accordance with the principles of the invention showing the rotatable brush receiving head perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush handle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush handle;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the tooth brush of FIG. 4 in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a end view of FIG. 5 in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the Miswak receiving head in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view along the line 9-9 of the brush receiving head FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view along the line 10-10 of the Miswak receiving head of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of the Miswak insert in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The primary function of the bristles of a toothbrush is to remove food particles from between the teeth, around the teeth gum line, and to rub abrasive particles contained in a toothpaste or gel across the surfaces of a user's teeth to remove by abrasive action tooth deposits such as stains, plaque, tartar and the like while delivering various active ingredients such as fluoride, anti-tartar, anti-gingivitis ingredients, etc. to the teeth being cleaned.

Studies have shown that aggressive mechanical cleansing with a toothpaste/toothbrush combination can be effective in cleaning a person's teeth, removing teeth stains and polishing the user's teeth.

The present invention has as its primary objective the cleaning of a user's teeth by using a pivotable toothbrush head that has cut pieces of the branch/root of a tree also called Miswak.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, there are shown views of a prior art toothbrush such as toothbrush 20. Toothbrush 20 includes a handle 22 which may be straight or slightly curved and tufts or groups of bristles 24 embedded into the handle at an end 26. The tufts of bristles are normally arranged in rows and columns 28 to provide a brush that has a rectangular shape. The bristles of some tooth brushes may be of equal length as shown in FIGS. 1-3, or the bristles at the front end of the brush may be longer to provide a toothbrush that has a raised tip. FIG. 2 shows the front end of toothbrush 20 where the tufts of bristles 28 are arranged to provide five columns which extend back from the end of the handle for a distance of about one inch more or less. FIG. 3 is a view of the bottom of end 26 of toothbrush 20. In FIG. 3 the bottom is rectangular because the bristles of the brush are arranged to form a rectangle.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 4A, 4B and 5, there are shown side and top views of a toothbrush in accordance with the principles of the invention. Toothbrush 40 has a handle 42 which can be straight and which supports at an end 44 a channel having two upright side members 46. Each upright side member 46 includes an opening 48 which is adapted to rotatably receive a protrusion 50 located on a side of a brush receiving head, see FIG. 8. Protrusions 50 which are rotatably located in the openings 48 in the upright side members 46 allows the brush receiving head 52 to rotate and lock at 90 degrees and 180 degrees to the long axis of the handle, as shown in FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B. The brush receiving head cannot rotate along an axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle. The protrusions 50 can be freely or frictionally rotatably coupled to openings 48, see FIG. 6, such that the brush head can be rotated between 50 degrees and 115 degrees from a position which is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle to a position which is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle. The brush receiving head can pivot thru an angle of between zero degrees and 115 degrees from its vertical position along the longitudinal axis of the handle. The brush receiving head can not rotate along an axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle.

Handle 42 can have an overall length of about six and three quarter inches more of less, and a width of about three quarters of an inch more or less, and the cross sectional shape of the handle can be oval. The brush receiving head, which is rotatably coupled to the upright side members of the channel located at the end 44 of the handle, includes a receiving chamber 56 for holding a tooth brush bristles insert 58, see FIG. 8.

Referring to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, chamber 56 in the brush receiving head has a first cylindrical section 57 at the top of the chamber and a second cylindrical section 59 is located at the bottom of the chamber that has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the first cylindrical section. The first cylindrical section at the top of the chamber has a diameter of about 0.226 of an inch and a depth of about 0.098 of an inch. The second cylindrical section at the bottom of the chamber has a diameter of about 0.236 of an inch and a depth of about 0.069 of an inch. The overall depth of the chamber is about 0.167 of an inch.

Referring to FIG. 11, there is shown a side view of the toothbrush bristles insert 58 in accordance with the principles of the invention. The toothbrush bristle insert 58 has a plurality of individual bristles or tufts of bristles 60, one end of which is embedded in base member 62. The plurality of bristles is arranged in concentric circles and has a length of about 0.250 of an inch more or less. Base member 62 of the toothbrush bristle insert is adapted to be located in chamber 56 which is located in the brush receiving head 52.

Base member 62 is a stepped cylinder having a first section 61 with a diameter of about 0.236 of an inch which is sized to be located in the first cylindrical chamber 57 of receiving chamber 56, and a second section 63 having a locking ring with a diameter of about 0.256 of an inch which is sized to be located in the second cylindrical chamber 59. The length of the first section 61 is about 0.157 of an inch which is sized to fit in receiving chamber 56 located in the brush receiving head 52 and the length of the second section 63, including a chamfer end, is about 0.059 of an inch.

The various parts of the toothbrush 40 are made of Miswak but can be made of nylon.

The diameter of the first section 61 is slightly larger that the diameter of the first cylindrical section 57 and the diameter of the locking ring of the second section 63 is slightly larger that the diameter of the second cylindrical section 59. The slightly larger dimensions of the first and second section 61, 63 of the base member insert allows the base member insert to be securely attached to the brush receiving head 52 by friction. The locking ring of the second section 63, when located in the second section 59 of the receiving chamber insures that the tooth brush bristle insert will remain locked in the brush receiving head 52.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are entitled. 

1. A toothbrush for cleaning teeth comprising: a handle having a first end, a second end and a longitudinal axis that extends along the length of the handle from said first end to said second end; a channel having side members located at said first end of said handle; and a brush receiving head rotatably coupled to said side members of said channel; wherein said brush receiving head rotates along the longitudinal axis of the handle.
 2. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said brush receiving head is adapted to rotate at an angle of between 90 degrees and 180 degrees along said longitudinal channel.
 3. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said brush receiving head has protrusions which are rotatably coupled to openings in said side members of said channel.
 4. The toothbrush of claim 3 wherein said protrusions on said brush receiving head rotate freely in the openings in the side members of the channel.
 5. The toothbrush of claim 3 wherein said protrusions on said brush receiving head are frictionally coupled to the openings in the side members of the channel to prevent the brush receiving head from rotation freely.
 6. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said brush receiving head has a chamber.
 7. The toothbrush of claim 6 wherein said chamber has a first cylindrical section locate at the front of the chamber and a second cylindrical section located at the rear of the chamber.
 8. The toothbrush of claim 7 wherein said second cylindrical section has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the first cylindrical section.
 9. The toothbrush of claim 8 further comprising a Miswak insert having a base member at one end coupled to said brush receiving head and a second end for cut Miswak pieces.
 10. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein said bristles are made of cut pieces of Miswak.
 11. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein said base member or said toothbrush bristle insert has a first section adapted to be received by a first section of said brush receiving head and a second section adapted to be received by a second section of said brush receiving head.
 12. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein said first section of said toothbrush bristle insert has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the first section of said brush receiving head.
 13. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein said second section of said toothbrush bristle insert has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the second section of said brush receiving head.
 14. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said handle and said brush receiving head are made of plastic.
 15. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein said toothbrush bristle insert is made of plastic. 